Like most people who grew up watching The Fresh Price Of Bel-Air, we were incredibly excited to see Will Smith’s Instagram profile in September. 30 years on from the show’s 1990 debut, the cast have reunited for a TV special, to be screened in the US on HBO Max. The gang, looking amazing, are all there – Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid and DJ Jazzy Jeff – with the exception of the late, great James Avery, who played Uncle Phil. But what’s most surprising is that two Aunt Vivians have been enrolled for the show despite a feud dating back decades. Now, we've got our first proper glimpse via a new trailer, ahead of the reunion on November 19th.
In the first picture, featuring the main group, you can see Daphne, the second actress to play Aunt Viv. She was cast in 1993, after the unexpected departure of Janet Hubert. This was not a mere case of Janet deciding she didn’t fancy the part anymore: she was fired, and her exit began a very public feud between her and Will.
In 1993, Will addressed the departure, and criticised Janet’s attitude.
‘I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel Air Show because I know she is going to dog me in the press’, he said. ‘She has basically gone from a quarter of a million dollars a year to nothing. She's mad now but she's been mad all along. She said once, “I've been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.” No matter what, to her I'm just the Antichrist.’
It did not fade away: the argument proved a point of contention for 25 years. In 2015, Janet vented to the Huffington Post. ‘My departure was planned for a long time’, she said. ‘There will never be a reunion of the Fresh Prince. Will Smith and Alfonso destroyed a 20-year-career with untruths. I got slammed. Will apologized later in an Essence Magazine article, but it still lingers. It's still there.’
Evidently, she was wrong, and she must have accepted his apology because HBO have promised an ‘emotional’ reunion. The pair, after all, seem pleased to be in each other’s company. Surely the reunion will cover the thirty years of ill will? Count us in!
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